Crosshairs
by therealme1123
Summary: So you're Maximum." " Guilty as charged." I was fearless, reckless. So, so stupid. I didn't know the inhumanity, the animosity of the thing. Maybe if I did... maybe... but that's all there'll ever be. Maybe. Maybe this and maybe that. Nothing else left...
1. Webster's guide to Crosshairs

**A/N:** **Okay, for the people who've seen this since the dawn of its conception, I'm so sorry that you've had to go through so much turmoil with this piece. I really am. To those of you who are reading this for the first time, this is the third rewrite of this fic, and each time I've considerably changed the characters and plot, so it's been very confusing for people trying to read it. You all can flame me for that, go ahead. Also, for those of you who have weak stomachs, or are easily scared, don't read this. At least don't read this in the middle of the night. It's given ME nightmares. Also, this is all the necessary information you need to fully understand what's going on in the fic.**

**Summary:** Max and the Flock are trying to finally find home, when everything around them changes yet again, and into something quite unimaginable. America is unaccepting of the now illegal hybrids, and Max gives herself up to keep the Flock safe, only to find that she is now in the middle of a near genocide. With all the trials and tribulations of life in the death camps, she struggles to lead the hybrids out of certain doom, to find the home she's truly longed for. Outside of the camp though is something much worse, and is there anything that can stop it? Will the relationship between two best friends be able to last throughout the conflict that's spreading across the globe? Will a human be able to help end the conflict? Was there nobody left but Bobby? And most importantly, will Pandora open the box one last time to release the only thing left, hope?

**Major Teams:**

**Aurai—**

Head- Echo

Second in Command- Oren – colonel (high status)

Members- Arela – Colonel- third in command

Isa

Lee

Charlie

Kaylie

Chloe

**Avengers—**

Head - Landis

Second in Command - Lizard (Liz for short)- Colonel (high ranking)

Members-Willie - colonel- third in command

Manny - colonel

Trixie

Scythe

Skyler

Alan

**Black Rose-**

Head- Rose

Second in Command- Scorn - general

Members-Calypso - colonel

Trouble

Nemo- colonel

Scylla

Nyx

**Anges d'Écarlate-**

Head- Snow

Second in Command- Scarlette - colonel

Members-Collette - colonel

Oceane

Amadou

Selene

Ben- colonel

Malick

**Winged Death-**

Head- Max

Second in Command- Whisper- general

Members-River- colonel

Elaine – colonel

Brigit

Val

Celaeno

Orpheus

The people in Max's bunker:

Max- we all know her.

Whisper- Named because of her white hair. Albino. Almost six feet tall. Thirteen years old. Had to load her little sister, Annakiya, into the crematory ovens. Works in the crematorium at New Buna. Helped build the camp. Experimented on at the Institute. She likes racing bikes, and is very handy with them. Her cover is usually as a mechanic and a cameraman at the news station. Slightly energetic, she has been known to be flighty and unpredictable during times of reason. She came up with several plans for escape, all failed. Second in Command of the entire camp of New Buna. Third in command of the entire movement.

Allyson Blair- Part of Fang's army. Political prisoner. Fifteen. Total fan girl. Has a thing for Fang. Doesn't like that Max isn't falling all over him.

Callie Schiller- Part of Fang's army. She's more calm and strong than Allyson. She was training to be part of the U.S. military. Knows little bits of the outside life. Political prisoner. Not much of a fan girl. More of a lover than a fighter, but puts up a good fight to anybody who's stupid enough to piss her off. Long fuse.

**Locations of Major Camps-**

Attenborough- Draw a line on a map between Phoenix and Albuquerque. Then draw a perpendicular line going SE from Flagstaff. You found it!

New Buna (the one Max is at) – find the center of Death Valley National Park. From there, make a pretty triangle between it, Reno and Elko, Nevada. It's somewhere in there.

Calliope Falls- Somewhere in between Salt Lake City, Billings, Montana, and Laramie, Wyoming.

Ralston- South of Spokane, Washington (state)


	2. Welcome to Hell

Disclaimer: I'm sitting at a cardboard desk whilst on a orange crate… well, not really but you get the picture. It's an impossibility for me to own Maximum Ride and the other characters and places it contains… no matter how similar fantasy and real life seem to be.

A/N: All right, let's hope you guys like take 4! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and I do take all of your critiques into account when writing (and rewriting… and rewriting)!MR

The Flock and I landed in a clearing in Colorado, the sun shining off our smiles. I know, we left Mom and Ella and… Jeb… in a rush, but we (that we meaning Fang and me) found out from a little Voice birdie that it was only our clubhouse that blew up. A.k.a. our house, the E-house, is still there, for us to live in and enjoy for the rest of our crazy happy lives. You know, now that Itex is gone, we're good. And we were all excited at the prospect.

Even now, Fang and I were shaking as we walked in front of the Flock, looking for signs of our home. We selfishly hoped it was still there. We were in the neighborhood, anyway… I mean it HAD to at least have debris around here, right?

We kept looking, even flying about at times to look… I brought out the map that was in my pack, and I grinned sheepishly. "Umm… guys, we're a bit north."

They looked at me with incredulity piled on their faces as if a clown had baked some into the cream pies that day. "Joking! Just joking, we're really close."

With that, I walked through the brush and pulled some plants out of our view, and there it was. Ah, Home, sweet, home… Never mind.

It's more like, "Home, infested with scummy guys from the government, home". I had to ask, so I walked up to the guy looking at our front door, pushing through all the other scum buckets in the way." What the hell are you doing at my house?"

"We have a search warrant. We're looking for Maximum Ride, and people by the names of Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. They're wanted by the CIA." The average-looking man was dressed in dark clothing, as contrasted by the sunny out of doors, and he held out a piece of very official looking paper, complete with signatures! Fun.

"Why?"

"I'm guessing you're them." He gestured at us.

" Nope. I'm just curious about what you all want with my house."

"So you're Maximum."

"Guilty as charged," I seethed, annoyance spilling from my pores. This guy was getting on my nerves. I turned to the Flock. Whispering, I said, "I'm going to find out what they want and come back for you. Go to the hawk cave at Lake Mead. Stay away from humans as much as possible. Don't get caught. U and A on three. Don't look back."

I turned back to the agent in front of me and smiled innocently. Idiot wouldn't know what hit him. "ONE!" The guy was dumbstruck. He'd had no idea. My flock flew fast toward Lake Mead. No one was going to be able to track them at the speed they were going.

I felt proud for a second before I went up to the agent and punched him straight in the face. He fell over, and before you could blink, I was in handcuffs being lead to D.C.

Cold. Damp. Dreary. Dark. Frigid. Scorching. Blood. Pain. Fear. Despair. Pick a word, any word. All describe the Newport Juvenile Correctional Facility for Girls. I didn't even do much, and I'm here. Why? That's what I'd love to know. I've been here for two weeks. Everyone here's either a thief, a murderer, or a political detainee. Apparently the Midwest doesn't do D.U.I.s. Yep, that's right, smack dot in the middle of the US. I'm in Illinois. They decided I wasn't good enough for D.C. and so they shipped me off to good old Illinois.

And it sucks. Yesterday I nearly got trampled, then one of the girls wanted to try using me as a punching bag… some stuff happened that I'm gonna skip, mostly cause I'm not too terribly proud of that, and THEN I get beaten by the guards for disturbing the peace and injuring with harmful intent. I growled as I kicked the bucket. Yes, it's a bucket. Yes, I kicked it. You people… it was the cell's piss pot. The pipes are frozen for the fourth time in five days, so they've instituted the "piss pot" system. So clever, don't you think?

I swear that some days I'm picking up the other's crazy accent. They hold out their vowels… so weird! And their "A"s are just way out there. Apparently if you don't hit a higher pitch on your "A", you're not talking right. I've been hit for that, too. Bloody sons of bitches.

From the very moment I get up, to the time when the guards call "Lights Out", I'm persecuted. "Bloody Hybrid!", they say a lot, also, "Hybrid Whore". I get some people who actually give a crap, and they're beaten, too. Beaten for everything. We're beaten if we get to the piss pot first. They curse you out if you get anything more that a third of what they've got. Then, if they feel like it, they'll **beat** you **curse** you **cut** you **kill** you…

" Hey, Max! Max! My god, I didn't think I'd see you ever! Aren't you proud of me? I helped with Fang's Army. I helped take out the one in D.C.! Max? Hey, Max?" A teen of about 15 ran up to me during the meal break. I don't even know what time it was; I didn't care.

" Who are you?"

The girl frowned and stared, " It's me, J.J. You know me! We went to school together in Washington before you had to leave with your…. Umm… family."

I smiled. Probably the first time I've done that since coming here. " Well, hey, you wanna see if the food here is better than at school? Two bucks says it's not."

She perked up at that, and I felt my heart die. She made me think of my flock. All five. So I didn't notice someone coming up behind us. The girl struck me first, screaming, "You stupid hybrid! You're the cause of all these problems. You're a bloody freak. Get out of here, Freak! Die, Freak!"

J.J. got an okay punch to the gut and retaliated, sending a quick jab to the girl's cheek, making her head turn. The girl recovered quickly, however, and grabbed a pipe. WHAM. The pipe struck J.J.'s chest, knocking her to the ground. Another hit. And another. And another. One final slam ended in a crack and a splattering of blood left J.J.'s skull. Jessica Joy was dead.

The fury of the girl was aimed back at me now, the one who should've gotten hit. So many jibes, they swirled around me, making focus near impossible. "Die, Freak! Why don't you go to hell, where you belong?"

A guard finally decided that one dead body was enough. "Cut it out, this one's needed for interrogation!" I got myself off the ground, heading into such a position as to stretch my wings, and I was grabbed by the arm. He twisted both arms backwards and shoved the cuffs on me, leading me to your run of the mill torture chamber.

As I was forced into the interrogation room at Newport's correctional facility, I was met with the usual sight. White walls, cold metal furniture, one-way mirror. Just the usual. For me, anyway.

Agent Camden was sitting in front of me with his usual smirk, thinking, like always, that he'd get me to confess this time. Not happening, Buster. I'm the one asking you questions. "What do you want from me?"

"A confession."

"Forgive me heavenly Father, for I have sinned…"

"Not that kind, smart ass."

"Then for what?" I leaned over the table like a detective from the Humphrey Bogart movies. "Where were you on June 19th, 1996?"

"For breaking the law. And I'm not stooping to answer that last question."

"What laws, Sheriff?"

"Traveling beyond borders without a passport or any other identification, being an illegal immigrant, and breaking and entering. Also, you're an illegal hybrid. Therefore, no matter what, we have to detain you."

"Oh, really? Fine. Detain me with the rest of them. I know more survived. But I'm not stooping so low as to confess to something I didn't have any control over. I'm not stooping as low as you." I spat it out, angry at being kept here, and furious for how these things always go. He pushes my buttons; I push his buttons… I push his buttons some more, he has me beaten, and I get (literally) thrown back into my cell. But this time, this time it seemed different.

"I promise, then, that you'll regret this."

"If I had a cooky for every time somebody said that…"He angrily pulled me up by the cuffs in back. I was led through the grey and dreary complex to an alley, then dragged through the alleys and streets, completely on display… me, my wings…. until I was pulled into a ramshackle, old warehouse. There were trucks filled with food, blankets…people. I was packed into one with a few other ragamuffins and they drove us off, due southwest.

When we were told that we were close to our final destination, it smelled like manure, it looked like a tornado hit recently and the entire scene gave me the feeling that nothing came out alive. I think the only thing that could make it more complete is a sign that said, "Welcome to Hell". Instead, it said, " New Buna Detention Center. Freedom for the compliant." Cheery, ain't it?

I was unloaded along with the others that were in the truck with me. We didn't bother introducing ourselves; there wasn't much point in our opinions… Not enough time to care.

There were two lines. One went to a gate, which in turn led to a large building. Smoke came from its chimneys. It must be nice in there, I thought… more hoped.

I was tired of the cold prison. The only warm places in there were the guard's offices. Every place else had no heat, and it was so frigid that water couldn't come to the faucets and toilets sometimes, which was the major cause of several brawls.

I was pushed into the other line, watching as the very young toppled into the opposite line. "They must be protecting the children…" I mumbled, and yet I felt very scared for those in the other line. Maybe I was just scared for myself.

The people in my line were taken to the showers, and we were sprayed with some kind of chemical… I think it was a pesticide. We were given black and white striped uniforms, which were better than nothing at all. The guards had take our other clothes (even though mine was just another prison uniform. I haven't had my own clothes in a while).

We were led to a line were somebody stood next to the fire, heating metal plates. At each person, the guard took the plate out of the fire, placed it on the arm of a prisoner, and moved onto the next one. My name is no longer important. My number is 930209.

And then we were sent to the bunkers. I was supposed to share a tiny little space with four other girls. And I mean tiny. The room was so small that I couldn't even lie all the way down in there. But being six feet tall can help with that.

I was setting up where I wanted to sleep when a girl showed up at the door, blocking all the light that could come into the room. "Who're you?" she asked.

"Maximum Ride. Who're you?"

She walked back into the fading light. She was albino. Red eyes, shaved, white hair, pale, nearly see-through skin. "My name's Whisper."

"Why are you called that?"

"Several reasons. The most important being that I can blast your eardrums with one half-hearted scream. The rest aren't that important now… Why are you here?" her tone was pained but casual, and I wondered what exactly made her sound so vulnerable and cynical at the same time.

"I'm here because of these."

I flipped out my wings. I didn't care that she was a non-Flock member; it's a death camp. I know one when I see one, and it's not likely that I'm gonna see my family again, so I better start getting used to it.

She didn't seem surprised at all. Then Whisper unfurled her own wings. They were white like Angel's, but these were larger and they had bluish cast, they were so white.

"Nice. Itex give you those?"

"Nah. The Institute. I'd rather not talk about that, though."

"Same…I was told there was supposed to be two other girls here. Where are they?"

She was silent. In fact, she didn't say anything for three days. And I was bored, so I kept talking to her, even when they tried to take us to one of the factories. I said that she was sick, tried to get them to leave. They took me away, forced me to get a hole drilled through my hand, to study my healing, but when I get back, I said hello, and what does Whisper say? Nothing. Nothing at all.

The guards only left her alone for a few days, then they decided it was time for her to go back to work. I guess that was the show of courtesy around here. She'd leave in the morning, dragged off by one of the guards, and returned in the late afternoon. Silent.

Finally, I got so tired of it that I screamed at her. "What is this with your silence? What? Are you no longer human? Don't you have feelings? Thoughts? Have you anything left of an identity? Cause if you do, you sure as hell don't act like it, and it's pissing me off. And if you don't, then you better find one, or you're gonna get thrown into the ovens, too."

"Don't you say that! Not ever!" She stood up to face me, and her face was cold with fury. Like a killer.

"Why not? It's true. I'm stuck in a living hell with a living corpse! Why not add a talking dead parrot that says, 'dead men tell no tales'?"

"I work at the crematoriums." It was terse, like killer velvet. "I had to load them in with the other dead the day you came to town…." I fell silent for a moment. That's rough.

"What were their names?"

WPOV

That was the point where I broke down. I was crying, sobbing and sputtering as tears and saliva and whatever else flowed from her orifices, and although she didn't know me that well, Max wrapped her arms around my shoulders as I sobbed everything out of my system.

"She was my little sister… she wasn't sick or anything…"

Flashback

It was morning, and I woke up before the rest. I guess today was something important, cause I'm never much of a morning person. The sun was rising, and that meant that the guards were going to round us all up soon, so I took the liberty of waking Kiya. The little black girl smiled at me as I shook her awake. We were our only family, and it was good that she had someone to take care of her. Me.

" Morning, Whisper." The six year-old crooned. Her voice matched her name, Annakiya, which means sweetness. I liked it, but then again, I named her. I gave her an African name, like the one she should have gotten from when we had parents.

Our parents abandoned me when they found out I was albino, but I guess they thought I wouldn't survive. An albino in Africa isn't one of those things you'd expect, so I can't say that I really blame them.

But what they did to Kiya was inexcusable. They gave her to the school for food and guns, to help with the civil war. She was brought to the nearest Itex branch, where she was shipped to the Institute, where I was already. That's how we met up, and one of the scientists who worked there decided to tell us that we were siblings.

" Hey, Kiya, you wanna wake Anna? We've got to get up before the guards come." She smiled and began to wake up my friend Anna. We're both twelve, and all three of us were shipped here when these people called "the Flock" shut the Institute down. I turned to the sun again, waiting for the time when the brown suited men would drag us to work.

I worked in the crematoriums, and believe me, it's the nastiest place. Unless you're building a new camp, and then the buildings are constructed on top of you if you die. Here, we just turn you into dust.

Anna wasn't awake when the guards came. But they dragged us off to work, anyway. My oven, the one I operate, is next to Rose. She's one of the nicest people to me here, and she's pretty feisty, too. Just don't tell a guard that. They're a little perverted.

Like most days, the work was pretty repetitious. You had to forget that what you were throwing in the oven used to be alive, or you'd stop, and then you'd be whipped or stunned by one of the guards. You never wanted that. So it was just throw the body in, shut the door, fire it up, open the door, shove a body in, etc. until all of yesterday's dead was turned to morrow's ashes.

It was about the 20th body in when I recognized one, and believe me when I say that it is bad to know anyone you're throwing into the oven. To me, this was even worse.

It was Kiya, my sweet six year-old sister. I checked for a pulse, nothing. I poked at her stomach. Full of gas. She'd been gassed. I couldn't believe it. She'd been killed like an animal, and what's worse is that she'd had a whole life ahead of her… she was just a little kid. And she didn't do anything wrong. I made sure of it.

Everyday, I took care of her, making sure she didn't get into trouble, so that we could one day escape. We could escape and be free. That was our one dream… one that we spent hours going over in our minds. What it'd be like to fly. What it's be like to eat fruit from the bushes and trees, to live in the forest, finding whatever we needed as we enjoyed the rest of our lives… well, that dream was lie a bug… that met a shoe and a steam roller.

Then I heard a scream from next to me, and I turned, thinking that Rose was upset about me throwing Kiya into the ovens. But that wasn't it. That wasn't it at all. Rose found a pulser. A kid with a pulse. And then I saw who it was… did I do something wrong? Or is the karma just out to get me? It was Anna, of course.

Rose was blubbering, trying to figure out how to sneak Anna out of here, maybe so that she'd survive, and one of the guards came up to us. He poked rose in the back with a gun, and ordered her to put Anna in the oven. Rose said no, and he told her that then it's be her in the oven. That it was her choice…"It was either Anna or Rose… and I'd pick Rose any day. So… it's just too bad."

MPOV

I sat up all night. I couldn't sleep, and the hot, dry air was only making things worse. The stifling, stagnant gases were just too much… I was thinking over all that had happened today, what with Whisper and all…the thought gave me an idea. We'll fight our way out, or die trying. Either way, it's better than living here…

Whisper stirred in her sleep, as if she knew what my thoughts were. I gazed over at her, smudged with ashes and in her old, torn striped uniform, almost no hair and a smile to match. I was tired of this. Real tired. Tomorrow would be the last time you saw nice, docile, nationalistic Max. Sorry to get your hopes up.


	3. The Way of Life

Disclaimer: "So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish." Nope, I don't own that, either.

A/N: All right, let's hope you guys like take 4! To make sure no one is confused about this, the little dividers tell you the setting, and the last one or two letters is the point of view. So "NBNBNBNBNBMR" means that it's in New Buna, and in Max's POV. Also, Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and I do take all of your critiques into account when writing (and rewriting… and rewriting)!MR

NBNBNBNBMR

It was at breakfast that morning when I started recruiting. Whisper and I had begun walking with the rest of our block to the mess hall, and let me tell you, the mess hall was the exact picture of its namesake. A mess. The roof looked like Shakespeare was about to step out of a time machine and blow a hole through it, and the posts holding everything up were pitted and warped. The tables themselves were what you'd expect to be in a park at a picnic site, and they looked old enough to have been used in the Civil War.

Then came the people eating there. Emaciated, bruised, cut. Mostly, they were pale and almost all of them had dark circles under their eyes, denoting their lack of rest and nutrition. Ironic for a mess hall, don't you think? They wore prisoner's uniforms, everyone did, and they usually had one sleeve pushed up, showing off their numbers.

The only reason they bothered was to show off to the world how long they'd survived… and to try to scare the armed guards located at the perimeter of the hall, seeing as it was the new guys who were stuck guarding the mess hall.

There were the avians all grouped together, and then some lizard people, then, I don't know, panther hybrids? Anyway, they were all grouped by species. Hanging with another species was like signing a death warrant. So, of course, I started with the avians. I don't want to be too conspicuous too early.

Whisper was already in on the idea. I cleared it with her before starting in the morning, because we room together, and if it weren't okay with her, well, then… that'd suck buckets. But she was ecstatic to hear that finally someone had the guts to stand up to this. Mostly, I think she just wants revenge, and although that's not really the best reason, it's the best one we got. "Panic is where democracy goes wrong." She said, " This is where democracy, where humanity, goes wrong…" Which brings me to here, and to Echo.

Echo is one of the best people to have on your side. She can change shape and colors, etc. Plus, she can change her voice… The down side? Her voice doesn't have a normal setting, which can get on your nerves. A lot. When I told her about the plan to get supplies and fight our way out, to stop this travesty, she said, "You say 'jump', I say 'how high?'" and in Fat Al's (head of the camp) voice.

Then came Elaine, Echo's sister. The pale redhead can work wonders with electricity. As soon as Echo signed on, it was a given that Elaine was in it for blood. "Who, Where, and When? I'll figure out how, and we already know why."

Then came Rose and her twin, Scorn. Probably the scariest chicks in the camp… under me, of course. Bloodthirsty and vicious are two words to describe their methods, and that makes them two of the best for my cause.

See, whitecoats killed their brother as part of one of their tests, plus the whole incident with Anna and the ovens, and let's just say they aren't too thrilled about that. Both have cropped dark hair; cause all their black curls were shaved off when they entered the camp two weeks before me. The first thing Rose said to me was, "It was about bloody time somebody made sense."

Scorn's was, "They don't deserve sense. They don't have sense. Let's just kill the bloody bastards already."

The list of hybrids grew till about two thirds of the entire camp was under my leadership. Those who weren't were called the "trusties", the ones who'd given up on their own kind to play the obedient dog for their human masters. We, however, ran ourselves, and we created everything we needed….

We created an education system. Those who'd learned some stuff in the outside world taught the younger ones. To read and write… to do basic math, to tell the weather. It was night school, though. They work till night, then they got to school for a few hours, then they get whatever sleep they can, and they get up to work again at dawn. But they learned quickly and readily, devouring the information until they resembled leeches.

We had a system of communication, too. I plotted with Whisper, and then we wrote out copies with whatever kind of paper someone could smuggle in… sometimes it was an old journal of one sent to the crematorium, sometimes it was the unused pages of a book, a bible, anything. Those were then sent to the rest of the camp.

But sometimes we were able to complete small operations without alerting the entire camp, and that we could accomplish only with small codes. I was tempted to use the Flock's secret language, but decided against it. I still felt as if they were out there, waiting for me.

We were our own militia. I had organized my people into groups: Generals, Colonels and Privates. If there was one thing I fully understood, it was that this is war, even just between them and me. So I better treat it like one.

Whisper and I separated everyone into teams. One group had one general, 2-3 colonels, up to 5 privates. I mixed them up, panthers with parrots, lizards with llamas… well, not that extreme, and there weren't really any llama hybrids, but you get my point, right?

It looked kind of like this.

Aurai—

Head- Echo

Second in Command- Oren – colonel (high status)

Members- Arela – Colonel- third in command

Isa

Lee

Charlie

Kaylie

Chloe

Each team had a name, too. A name that wouldn't be easily recognized by the guards… So definitely not something like "Echo's team". Or they'd be hung the next morning as traitors…. Besides, there's no fun in that name. So we chose stuff like the Aurai, Black Rose, or the Avengers. Or the Flock….

I thought about my flock a lot of the time. Every time I closed my eyes, I'm back at the house, watching my family grow up. It hurts sometimes… when I open my eyes, and I know that my family IS growing up, without me.

That hurts… more agony than any kind of test they've forced on me… It's the test I can't stop living. But I'll live through it. I have to. For them.

NBNBNBNBNBNBMR

We got another shipment today of prisoners. I asked around for the Flock. No news. But then again, no news is good news. If none of these guys have heard anything, I kind of doubt that the government's found them, and that means they're safe. Right?

I watched as boys and girls of various ages piled out of the truck, lining up in the two rows I'd come to recognize as life and death. I stood along the line, and I picked out as many as I could, telling them to try to get into the other line, quickly, before any guards spotted them.

Some of them called me crazy, saying that nobody would do something like this. Idiots. The ones who followed me, though, I quickly recruited. And so it was, and smoke still poured from the chimneys of the crematorium as souls and ashes flew to the heavens.

Two of them made it into Whisper's and my bunker. Only… they're both human. "Why are you here? You're not a hybrid."

One of them, the taller of the two, spoke, "We were at military school, and they caught up with us. We'd been part of the Flock's army, you know, the one Fang started with his blog… well, you probably haven't heard of him. He's a hybrid, too-"

"Quit rambling. People who ramble don't get to say their last words."

She looked pretty flustered, obviously shocked at the difference between her old life and this, but continued, "Well, anyway, we were part of the army, and it was because of our blog posts that we got arrested and sent here as 'Enemies of the Democracy'. That's why we're here."

"Stupid Fang… I told him that dumb blog would get us in trouble one of these days. But life goes on, right? We'll survive; we were meant to survive…."

"You know Fang?" The second one (I'm betting fan girl) asked.

"Umm, yeah, check the name tag! I'm Max. But that's not the point. The point is, well, we gotta stop this."

"What's Fang like?" Her voice was like vanilla ice cream drenched in sugar with Karo syrup on top, and I hated every second of her best-friend-ogling voice.

"If you asked him that, he'd probably shrug, and slip away silently. He doesn't talk much to any one person. The only thing he likes fan girls for is his ego boosts. And believe me, those die quickly… but he's my best friend, I'm biased." I wanted to say, "Well, you signed up to this militia, and you did it for the wrong reason. Good luck dealing with it." But I was nice, for once.

The new girls shut up for the moment, and Whisper gave me a look that said, " Why do you have to say the absolutely worst things?" This stint was going to be a long one, not minding how long it actually is/ was/ will be.

It was a bright and shining morning, but I didn't see it. Instead, I was working in a factory, alongside a bunch of other hybrids, being whipped by the guards, some of them were teenagers, and they made noises and gave me looks, and I ignored all of them.

I kept on working, even when one of the more rowdy teenagers forced me to the ground, hoping to get some. I just pushed him back, off of me, and got back to working. I knew the whip was going to hit me, that the stun guns were going to strike, and I took it, gladly.

Even when they didn't feed me, I understood that it was the way of life. It was the path I chose. And I gladly accepted it…

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"Elaine, have you taken out the security system yet?" I growled into the walkie. I was growing impatient. She should have been done two minutes ago, and two minutes can mean the person is dead and buried by now, and I'm just finding out about it.

We'd been doing this for one month now. Plotting and carrying out designs to escape, even for a short while, and they've come in handy.

Now, almost all of my generals have a laptop with high tech security. Most everyone in the camp knew about where other hybrids hid to escape living here. So we've been planning routes to their hiding spots. Like yesterday…

Flashback

It was hailing murderously, and my team was flying through the skies, just above the clouds. We were close… these guys were in an abandoned tree house. It wasn't even big enough for two, and here were five children living here! Or at least that's what the reports said. All of them were supposedly cheetah hybrids, and there was one set of twins in the group.

There was a hole in the clouds, which I used to our advantage, and we swooped into the foliage below. The leafy green stuff just isn't my cup of tea when there's ice pellets falling from the sky. Finally, we made it, and I knocked on the outside of the door. " Hello? Open up!" I kept it up for the next minute or two when I heard movement. They're here… they must think we're the people who took the rest of their group. "Cleo sent me! Open up!"

"How do we know to trust you?" The voice was timid and weak. They mustn't have eaten much since Cleo left.

I growled out their code word, and a small child, dressed in rags opened the door. " Who are you?"

" Are you Nibal?"

She scoffed. " I wish. I'm Safia… Come inside, it's bad out." The shack was cramped and leaky, the wooden boards unable to keep the fat water drops from seeping through. The buckets they had were occupied with catching drips from the cracked wooden ceiling.

"I'm Max, and this is my team. Their names are Whisper," The albino raised her hand. "Elaine, Brigit, Val, Celaeno, and Orpheus." They raised their hands respectively. "Where's the rest of your pack?"

She looked scared to answer the question, but if I were a kid living in the middle of nowhere and people with wings just dropped in to pay me a visit, I probably wouldn't be talking much, either. She did come around, though. "They're out getting food. Won't be back for a while. Left me behind."

"Why?" she pulled up her pant leg, revealing four long gashes that made her leg look like ribbons. She looked as if she were of Middle Eastern descent, and the pink lines contrasted greatly with her dark tan skin.

And one word escaped her lips… one that I don't think I will ever forget, and not just because of this… "Erasers."

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on the door. "My pack." It hurt the way she said that, because it was the way that I always described my flock… MINE. Can I honestly do that now? Umm… let's here it, NO.

In came four people who made the Flock look like fat, drunken hobos. All of them had straight, jet-black hair that was pulled back against their heads, long, lean muscles, and tight, merciless faces. " Who are you?" The tallest, a girl, came to the front of the pack. " What do you seek here?"

I explained about the camps, and about Cleo (their former leader). Nibal (the new leader) agreed to join, and I gave them the stuff necessary for us to contact them, so that they could help. It was one of our better runs…

End flashback

So some times it was abandoned houses, sometimes subway tunnels, caves, fields, ditches, forests. You name it. And sometimes it wasn't so pretty. There were a couple times that we found the places burnt to the ground, and there were times where we found the people… in a pool of their own blood. But now we have maps, charters, everything we need… everything but the files, and what people the government know about us, some of the "lost one's" locations….

Elaine radioed back to me. "Max, I've got it now. There was a little problem with a couple confusing wires, but I figured it out. No worries. Over and out."

I walked into the office building, kicking whatever was in my way, including the hostages. I sprinted up the steps, and made my way to the filing room. Normal, Solange and Whisper were going through files, checking for all the necessary information. We needed to find those hybrids. I wanted to find them…

And more than anything, I wanted them to come and help fight this. They had a choice, of course, but it wasn't much of one, and I was pretty sure that any hybrid worth having on my side was going to get up and go with us when we got there.

But I couldn't help thinking about my Flock. Why was I so stupid as to let them think I was going to get back right away? They've probably moved on, thinking I'm dead. But I at least have a chance to find them.

I've been using my laptop for the past week to search for them. Nothing's come up about them, which is good, I guess. They've followed my directions, then.

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I was back in the hut when Whisper burst into the room, her face wild and panicked. "They've got Echo and the Aurai."

"The bloody … they've got a whole damn TEAM? Where are they taking them?"

"The labs."

Thank God. There's still hope. "You think they know?"

" I don't know, but I don't think they're coming back."

"Oh, they're coming back. They are if I'm alive. Get Black Rose." I lifted up the rug to get out a backpack and some other equipment. "Search and rescue, all that jazz. Can't have any one of the falling out of the sky."

Most of that was a code. It translated to, "They need only the clothes on their backs. It's a long trip, so cover for us." I knew where we were headed. And I wasn't liking it one bit.

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It was a long trip to Death Valley. My heart had pounded every time I flapped my wings as I soared through the clear, cloudless air. Things were like they should be. I knew the way along the sunset colored ground, and effortlessly flew to the one place I hoped I'd never return.

I led Black Rose to Lake Mead, doing a 360 every so often to make sure no one was behind us, and we scouted out a shallow little hollow in the cliffs for a place to stay the night, and then get them by surprise in the early morning, before people could see that we'd escaped.

I led them to the cave at the north side of the lake, and panic swept through me when I saw that the Flock wasn't there. All that littered the cave was a couple packs, some food wrappers and some burnt logs from a fire. I hoped that maybe they just went shopping for food or something, but right now, with everything that's going on, you just can't be that sure.

I was worried now, though I didn't let it show, and I thought about the times I had with the flock, looking through all the debris to see if they'd been gone long, if there was any real reason to worry, or if I should just move on…

I ordered the girls around to take care of cleaning up the camp, because surely we shouldn't leave something so messy. We'd set up our few tattered blankets that we'd stolen set up camp for the night and were just about to stomp out the fire, when the Flock returned. I was so relieved, but I wasn't doing that well health-wise, so I just backed into the shadows, hiding the gaunt features of my malnourished face.

I didn't want them to see me. I didn't want it to hurt so bat cause that would make it easier to go back… I had to go back to New Buna to plan the escape and the rehabilitation of prisoners. But what I need and what I want to do don't always coincide. So maybe I wanted to live with my flock. Maybe I wanted to be happy… but I can't just give up on all these people just because I want to protect my family.

But I also can't think that they'd reject me for being so unhealthy… For dying on them, when I'd said I'd be back. Why'd I have to make that stupid promise? Didn't I know better by now? Wait for it… no, not really.

Fang was the first to land, then Iggy, until everyone was in there. They still looked like they were in good shape. I wonder how they're really holding up. I hope Fang's been doing a good job without me. But I also selfishly hope that they miss me terribly. You know what? They're alive. I'm happy.

He must have been surprised and afraid of the newcomers, because he bellowed, "What the hell are you doing in our cave? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Get out."

Rose didn't like that one bit. But she wasn't going to get the chance to say anything about it, either. As she headed over to Fang, pulling up her shirtsleeves to keep them clean, I spoke up, "Calm, Rose. Just keep it calm. I'll handle this."

Her shadowed face turned to my hidden one, glaring but nodding, and it looked as though the Flock thought they heard a ghost. "Hey, Fang. Loving your hospitality. Now, why don't you give these girls something to eat? They haven't had more than a loaf of bread total for the last week and they just flew 3 hours straight… And where's Angel? I can't see her."

Angel walked out in front of the group, looking just as adorable as when I left, and I swear, if Fang didn't have his impassive mask on, he'd have turned white as a sheet. "Who are you?"

"Aww, come on, the leader of the great Flock is SCARED? HAH! I thought you'd be tougher than that… And everyone's heard of you, so don't act so surprised. Now, like I said, Fang, give my girls some food. We can steal more later, but they have to sleep soon if we're going to storm the labs in the morning." I shifted in the darkness, and I was pretty sure that Fang caught on to where I was. Good, they didn't recognize me. I was afraid they'd know my voice, even after it became cracked and weak. I couldn't allow my family to see me so helpless… so unfit to lead.

"I'm not the leader. Max is, or didn't you hear?" He sneered, obviously trying to sound fierce. If it weren't for the fact that I knew him so well, I'd probably think he was fierce.

"But I know she's not with you. I only count five. What happened to Max?" I jeered, hoping to keep them on their toes. As an extra measure, I blocked my mind from Angel…

"She's… not here."

"You mean she's dead? Yeah, I think I heard something about that at Attenborough. Pity."

The Flock looked pained as I said that, and Nudge exclaimed, "You mean you heard from her? You've seen her? She's dead? Oh my god, She can't be dead! That would be awful! Like if dolphins went into space without a parachute-"

Fang stepped in front of the Flock as Iggy grabbed for Nudge's mouth. "Tell. Me. Where. She. Is." He hissed, low and menacing, like a mother bear... just don't tell Fang I said that. I knew I scared him, but relatively he was nothing new to the slew of other problems facing my group and my cause and my people. My family can't be a part of the equation anymore… my thoughts nagged at me as my resolve dissipated, bit by bit.

I yawned, one of my few symptoms of nervousness. "Fine, Fang. But remember, you asked for it."


	4. The Essence of Pain

Disclaimer: "So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish." Nope, I don't own that, either.

A/N: All right, let's hope you guys like take 4! To make sure no one is confused about this, the little dividers tell you the setting, and the last one or two letters is the point of view. So "NBNBNBNBNBMR" means that it's in New Buna, and in Max's POV. Also, Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and I do take all of your critiques into account when writing (and rewriting… and rewriting)!MR

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They gasped as I walked out into the light of the moon. I had dark circles under my eyes and my hair had been cut off when I got to camp, making it barely reach the tops of my ears. I looked like I could touch my spine through my belly button, and my ribs clung to the skin above, pushing outwards as much as they could without tearing my skin open.

Angel was reading my mind about where I'd been, so I blocked her out, thinking about ponies and rainbows, etc. hoping she'd take a hint.

But she'd gotten stronger than when I last saw her; she broke through and saw what'd happened, running up to me for a hug. I picked her up and hugged her, her small body clinging to me as I said, "Mind reader," to Rose and the team. Fang finally started passing out food, while Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy came to me for some answers.

"Where've you been, Max? I thought we ditched you with the CIA." What a wit you have, Iggy. Why I haven't strangled you yet is beyond me.

I thumped Iggy on the noggin, but he smiled. "Well, guess what? They ditched me!"

"With who?"

" The ICC." Iggy frowned, obviously concentrating on figuring out what ICC stand for. Finally, though, he gave up.

" What does ICC stand for?" He sounded defeated, and I felt a little hurt… just a little.

" The International Convention of Crazies." I smiled, "That would be you by the way."

He scowled, looking more like he was slightly concerned than actually angry, and then he laughed. It was a bright, sharp sound that cut through the night, and it was almost painfully good to hear. "Good to have you back."

Then Nudge spoke up, her ever--pleasant (I mean present) chatter once again making the air waiver with her excitement. "So where have you been? What's happened? Why do you look like that? Cause you look like death on a stick. Who are they? Where'd you meet up with them? What are their names…?" Gazzy covered Nudge's mouth.

"There are some definite reasons why I love you, Gaz. You can take you hand off Nudge's mouth now."

I turned to Fang as he handed Black Rose some bread from his pack. "Don't feed them too much." This was more to Rose than any one else, and she nodded solemnly, handing back half of the food Fang had given them. My best friend stared in quiet astonishment and utter confusion. What I'd give to talk to you again….

The kids kept bugging me about what happened, even though Angel tried to tell them that they didn't want to know. So I gave them an idea of what happened, leaving out the parts that would keep them up with nightmares for days on end. Like the fact that there were hybrid labor camps all over the place, and that they decided to save money on the food bill. I just said that I didn't eat because I thought it was poison. Angel knew that I wasn't telling the whole truth, but Nudge and Gaz were satisfied with the answer they received. But what do you know? Angel tells Fang and Iggy. Ah well, I knew that they were going to expect my answer to the kids to be a lie.

My team was asleep and so was most of the Flock, when I said that I'd take first watch. I needed to talk to Whisper, anyway. As I booted up the laptop, and Fang came to sit next to me. He got right to the point. "Max, what's going on? I know what you told the Flock isn't the whole truth. But you have to tell me."

I told him about Whisper and the rest of the camp while I was emailing my other second-in-command. She wrote that she'd had tough times keeping a straight face when she said I was sick with chickenpox, but that no one else had been taken so far. The last, if anything, was a relief.

But even as I smiled lightly, I could see the concern in my friend's dark brown eyes, and, if I was correct, Iggy was listening from across the fire. "You can go to sleep now, Ig."

He rolled over, and pretended to snore. Man, would he get it in the morning. I finished up about what happened with me, and I knew right away that Fang was going to keep an eye on me now, making sure I don't go back to the death camps if I don't have to.

But I do. I have to get those kids out of there. They didn't do anything wrong. As long as I'm alive, I'm fighting for them. Those kids have the right to it. And nobody's taking those rights away… Well, not anymore.

We flew the rest of the way to the School, and I was growing tired of the quiet stares I received from Fang. We arrived at about 5 in the morning, the sun just about to peak above the horizon. The place was gloomy as ever, and I really would prefer not to go into details. I'm not one for memorizing what it looks like. In fact, if I never had to go back, I'd be a happy bird girl.

Immediately, I had Angel scan the place for Echo and the Aurai, sending Rose and Scorn after them. The duo fake saluted and flew over to the closest entrance, a window on the sixth floor. Then I had Trouble go after whatever files could be commandeered about the whereabouts and powers of other hybrids, for recruiting purposes, of course.

Calypso, Elaine, and I went in for any new equipment we could "borrow". Nudge came to download the databases from their servers onto an external drive we'd gotten from an office building in Wisconsin, but not before stumbling into a few rooms filled with other kids.

As I stared into their shining, pathetic eyes, I thought about moving on… but only for a second. I couldn't leave them here to die. I just wouldn't be me. Their hollow faces looked up at my equally gaunt body as if I was the savior of the world. Maybe I was.

_Angel_, I thought hurriedly, _tell these kids to get outside when I pull the fire alarm. Tell them to keep calm and go to the north wall of the fence. Meet them there. _

_Okay Max._

I grabbed what I could carry and pulled the alarm on my way out. Not many scientists were there, so it was mostly kids who flooded out of the building. All of them unerringly went to the north fence. All 250 or so, of course. We weren't going to get through without being entirely conspicuous, so we better move quickly. I found a piece of debris that was once possibly a chair leg and made haste for the control panel of the electric fence.

I bashed the box open, where a little red switch gleamed maliciously… I tripped it anyway. The fence became useless for anything but ripping hybrid-sized holes into the chain link.

The kids flooded through said holes and we quickly got the avians into the air, leaving some of our stronger ones behind with the land locked. There wasn't going to be enough room in any cave we can find near here, so the only possible place was a forest 5 miles east.

Before nine A.M. the largest clearing in that forest and most of the surrounding area was packed "standing room only" with kids. We tried using some of the old blankets from the Flock and the School to make tents, but there wasn't enough room. We were going to have to find better places for them.

But some of us had other people to save. Those of us who had to go back to Camp Hell-on-a-Popsicle-Stick packed up and left shortly after setting the camp up for the new guys.

Sure, it was pretty rude, but it's what needed to happen. And it's not like I'm socially graceful. We have to go back, and they have to stay out. Best not to get too attached.

It would've been easier, though, without Fang watching. I looked back once before flying off, and he gave me this look, and it was filled every emotion I couldn't place. But it was very strong, almost desperate, and when he saw me he put that idiotic impassive mask on….

I HATE that mask! I want so badly to rip it off, to put it through a wood chipper and to strip him bare of that wall he puts between himself and everyone else. All I've ever asked of him is to cut the carp with me, and it seems as if he doesn't even trust me anymore.

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It was windy this morning. I felt all on alert as we had heard about a new shipment… Echo had messaged us about there being a surprise, so the whold camp was jittering with uncontained anticipation. A red faced Orpheus ran into my hut. " They're here! They're here!"

"Okay, okay, I know, the British are coming. So what's so special about these prisoners?"

Orpheus opened his mouth, thought better of it and shut it again, before saying, " You just have to see for yourself."

Row by row of Whitecoats were being led into our quaint, peaceful little facility. I almost laughed. Walking up, I asked one of 'em, "Why are you here? I thought you'd be injecting us with poison." My bitterness had gotten the best of me, and that was stupid of me.

The doctor, a woman, replied, " I'm not. That's why."

They were all detained for refusing to conduct the experiments… and that got me thinking. I know, I know, it's a dangerous thing to do, but in this case, these Whitecoats may actually be of some help…

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It was roll call, a new daily ritual after the "suspected escape of several prisoners". Geez, we're not that innocent. Anyway, I had gotten pretty… careless is probably the nicest term, but I'd waited until the guard had come past me, and I spit on him.

The ugly man turned to face me, and hocking up all the spit I could, I spit at him again, hitting him straight in the eye. Score one for Max! Only he didn't see it that way. A couple of privates were called in to see to my punishment, and I was led to a shed on the edge of the camp, and "taught" about respecting the "gifts" of human males. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

But after that, I was one pissed off bird-girl. So that night, without telling Whisper, I snuck out of the hut and killed the closest guard, taking the patrolling officer's clothes. It was lucky that he was about as skinny as I was, and the hats… they were a big bonus.

I almost sprinted off to the guards' barracks, and when I made it there, I quietly opened the door and tried to act calm, like a normal officer would.

Only a couple of grunts made up my greeting. It was a small hut, and several of the regular guards were sitting around a card table, playing some kind of poker. The sergeant was standing in a corner, puffing at a cigar. The fumes nearly made me wheeze, but I kept it cool. "You're back from patrol so soon?"

"Yeah, there wasn't any activity tonight, so it was breeze. I guess what we did to the one girl had a big effect. She seems to be one that the others look up to."

"How would you know? They're just animals, they're not smart enough to do something like that." You asshole! Shit, I hope there aren't any mind readers awake. I mentally gave him the bird, and replied.

"I don't think so. That one girl, the one we punished…" I grinned like a pervert, and continued, "What was her name again?"

"None of them have names." Right, and you're the Easter bunny in a pink and purple pantsuit.

"Well, anyway, she seems to be some kind of leader within the prisoners. I think she's dangerous."

"Well, then, we'll have Mason and Adams take care of her again… unless you'd rather take care of her, since she seems SO dangerous." Some of the guards who were playing poker snickered, and I made my way closer to the sergeant and the door. I pulled out the pistol I stole from the dead guard, and aimed it at his head.

"What next time?" and I blew his head off. Turning to face the others, I pulled off the hat (it wasn't that nice) and aimed the gun at them and asked, "Where's the Mason and Adams?" I pointed at the dead sergeant. "There's more where he came from!"

Most of them pointed to one man, short enough to be a child himself, and he gulped. I looked at his nametag, and it said, "Private Gerald Mason". Goodbye, Mason!

Then I grabbed one of them, the one that was close to me. "Have any of you done the same thing to others? Be honest. If I find one of you not being honest, you'll all die." Several said that they hadn't, and others begged for mercy… right, mercy. I shot them dead without a second thought. "Mercy is for people who care. I don't."

I pointed the gun back at my hostage's head. " Where's the other one? Speak up, or I'll shoot."

He took the second option. So I grabbed the next closest. And the next closest… and then my good buddy Adams walked through the door. I sighed in satisfaction as the crack of the metal and the impact of flesh and bullet reached my ears. I turned to the rest. "Anything else you want to admit to?"

They smiled, and I gulped, as I realized that I had no more cartridges, and that I was alone, and as much as I hate to admit it… weak.

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Mud- it's brown, it's wet, and it's everywhere. Where am I? Ooh, can't you guess? I'm in the wet cold ground under the water table! What I'm doing there? I'm digging tunnels, so I can kill the sons of bitches that tried to kill me! Yeah, doesn't that sound like fun?

"Come on, guys, we gotta keep working!" I yelled to the children digging beside me. They were beyond exhausted from working all day, and trying to build tunnels at night. On the amount of food we get each day, it's enough to kill any human. Good thing we're only 98 percent….

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"Hey, Max! Who's this?" Whisper pointed to a person on the server, a Mdknight and even I didn't recognize them.

" Hold on… Get a line to everyone else on the server to get offline NOW. We don't want anybody else to find out by this person. Talk to Elaine, and get back to me." I waited for a few minutes, and when she came back in, giving the all clear, I typed a message to the newcomer. "Maxzilla: Who are you? Why are you on my server? Hello? Dude, what the hell!"

It took a second, so I suspect they're not local, and I got a reply. "Mdknight: Max. It's Fang."

I wrote back. "Shit, don't do that, Fang!"

"What? Breathe?" he typed. We kept talking. That day turned into days… then weeks, then months. And I never tired of his small amounts of conversation. They were enough for me.

It was raining, and I was crying. I was taken from the factory today and put to work building a new set of bunkers. There were a whole bunch of kids with me, and that saddened me, but what I knew was that I was supposed to die here.

As soon as I thought that, I ran, and I was about fifteen feet from the fence when the guards got close enough to shock me. I fell, and then they swarmed in on their victim, vultures that found their new carcass. The men's fists collided with every inch of my body, and everything hurt, but what was worse was that I was too scrawny to fight back.

When the guards were finished, I was splattered with blood, and bruises were forming all over my slightly sunburned flesh. And then I was sent back to work… by the time I was escorted back to the barely there hut, they'd already given out bread, and I didn't get any.

I sank to the ground, broken, weeping, and I cried out to the sky, feeling as the water droplets and hail began hit my skin… hoping that all this would end. It wouldn't….

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We've finished the tunnels. Finally. I wipe the sweat from my brow as I walk to the main cavern. We've been working for so long, and I can only smile at the fact that we've done this all with the breaking of our backs and the sweat of our brows and the grease of our elbows. If nothing else it makes me proud. I stand in front of my crew, each and every one of them as strong and wonderful as the next. "You taste what's in the air, guys? Do you feel it in your bones? Or in your hearts? I can, and there is only one word to describe it…."

My crew stared in awe as River, a rather rambunctious girl, exclaimed, "Gas!"

"No, River. Freedom."

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I typed a response to Max's friend, Fang. Oh my gosh is he in love with her! I mean, honestly, have you seen two people who could possibly be more right for each other than these two?

We mostly talk about what's going on, same as Fang and Max, only I don't give him the edited version. Max only tells him the stuff he won't worry about. Like how her health has declined, or any beatings, "punishments"… he hates hearing about it, but I think he needs to know. And Fang cares about Max enough to help out, me thinks… Bad, Whisper! You forgot to tell them about your obviously brilliant plan!

Max keeps talking about Fang, and all Fang can ask me about is how Max is really doing. So… I got a little tired of it one day. "Bleached: dude, seriously, tell her already! I don't care which one of you says it first, just get it over with and fast! You're both driving me NUTS! I mean, just hearing the both of you rant about each other seriously gets annoying, so do something about it! NOW!"

"Mdknight: Okay, cool your jets. I'll do it."

"Bleached: THANK YOU!"

"Mdknight: But what if she says no? What do I say?" I slapped my forehead in incredulity, and proceeded to detail any number of successful scenarios. He picked one, and I told him how to put it into action… Max was so going to love this.

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I typed a simple response to my friend. Emailing Fang daily has really kept me going. In a few days, the Flock's coming to visit in the tunnels for my birthday. It was Fang's idea, and then all the "Insiders" wanted a day off. So we're meeting down there for a party.

And the only reason I'm going is because Whisper's making me. I don't like parties, or crowds… but she says that I'd be making a mistake if I don't go… I wonder what that's about.

I pulled back the rug in our hut and lifted the manhole cover that led to our sewer tunnel. Whisper and I practically jumped over each other trying to get there first, but I won. Yay!

I opened the door to the main chamber (yes, we stole things like doors and desk chairs… What? Can't mutants have the little luxuries?) to find almost everybody already down here. They looked surprised when they saw it was me, and several boxes, I'm assuming they're presents, were stashed in "inconspicuous" hiding spots.

I heard a few gasps from the few "outsiders" when they saw me. I looked worse than before, and in truth I was pretty close to death by starvation. But I'm still hanging in there, tough as nails.

At least I'm doing better than the ones stuck up above. Most of them have dysentery, and although we've been smuggling in medicine… it's rough. And we can't let them get too well. The guards will suspect something.

I remember from when Whisper got influenza. I'd gotten some medicine from one of the doctors. She had been friends with Dr. Martinez… I mean Mom. She got the medicine through a network we'd set up, and Whisper was up and at 'em in a couple days. But the guards got suspicious…

-Flashback-

It was roll call… again. The second one today. Only the sick aren't allowed to go, and today there was one more with our group, Whisper.

She wasn't supposed to be with us… in their eyes, she's supposed to be dead. And the dead aren't just supposed to come back from hell without somebody having something to do with it.

But it was only "suspected". Seriously, the guards are idiots. We're guilty! And what's more, we're unrepentant.

The guard noticed Whisper's number, and he asked how she was feeling. Why, Whisper? "I feel much better now that I've gotten back up on my feet." Translated to Guardspeek: I've had help because somebody smuggled in something, and you should beat the people in my bunker within an inch of their life, just for your entertainment.

So take a guess at what happened. I dare you. I was taken out of the lines, in front of everybody, and I was laid over a box, my back facing the sky. In that position, I felt whips lashing down on my back, ripping the thin material of my clothing.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four. I felt my skin become raw, my wings felt as if they were on fire.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight. The whip had made streamers out of my uniform; strips were flying, as I could feel air on my back between lashes. The frigid air almost made it feel worse.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve. I wanted to cry.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Twenty. I did.

Twenty-five. I'd run out of tears, and my skin was cut, badly. Truly. Deeply. Feathers floated numbly from my back where they'd be stripped from my wings.

Thirty.

Thirty-five.

Forty. I felt the stares of the entire camp, and I felt naked, blood oozed from my cuts, and I winced as someone poured boiling water on my back, gritting my teeth so I wouldn't scream.

Forty-five. The guard yawned, as if this bored him. As if this was just a chore, a kid doing the lawn mowing. I wanted to kill him.

Fifty. They stopped. And they stood me up. Then I had to keep my tears at bay as they stripped me in front of the eyes of the entire camp and ripped out every last one of my feathers. One by one. I saw all of my friend's pity, all their sympathy, and I wanted to die…. But I stood there, naked, bloodied, broken… and after all that, I let out all of my pain with one scream. It was shrill, hoarse, and loud, sounding like an anguished squeaker toy gone berserk. Then I fell to the ground, and I didn't feel anything.

-End Flashback-

I winced as I felt the still healing skin of my wings brush against my uniform, the too tiny feathers tickling the exposed nerves.

Suddenly, Angel rushed up to me. I hugged her and introduced her to Whisper, who was staring intently at the whole scene from behind me. I then introduced the rest of the Flock to her, but it was a bit awkward when she said hello to Fang.

Why? Because, even though I told her not to, she hugged him. I mean, let's face it; Fang doesn't do hugs. I was just trying to save us all from the awkward moment, but no, she had to hug him. The only thing weirder was that he didn't seem to notice. He was staring off in space. I wondered what he thought about when he was like this. Maybe… it was me?

Trouble burst in the door with some old food wrapper made into the shape of one of those "fruit hats" screaming, "Isn't this supposed to be a FIESTA?" I can't believe that's how my party started, but knowing me, I wouldn't want it any other way. It didn't look like anything could put a damper on their spirits now.

But Iggy, Fang and I all knew that this was more or less a goodbye, a time to let go, because, most likely, I'm not coming back. So we celebrated, sure, but we were silently telling each other how much they'd be missed.

My presents were wonderful. I got a coat! Even though it's June, it's not like they can get it to me in December. From Nudge, I got some signal tracking equipment, and everybody but Fang chipped in for a monogrammed jumpsuit.

It was mostly black, with sky blue racing stripes down the sides. And it had MR in sleek lettering on the left lapel. The thing had a collar on it, too, the kind you usually associate with vampires in old movies, sticking up almost to your face and then curling out slightly.

They knew they couldn't bring in food. It was too suspicious, and if we looked healthy, they'd just take us for testing. Plus, according to the doctors here (the ones on OUR side), we were so malnourished that if we ate our fill, our stomachs wouldn't be able to handle it, and we'd die anyway.

So it was better off this way. My group of teams inside the camp had given me some food they saved up. They're all too kind for their own good. They really need to eat it themselves, but it's a thoughtful gift, nonetheless. "Hey, somebody get over here and finish off this food!"

Looking away from all the festivities, I let my eyes fall to Fang in an expectant look, as if to say "I'm shocked you didn't get me anything", and he gazed back at me, his eyes saying "Later"… I hate waiting.

We played and laughed and danced and sang until everybody had to go to sleep. Our big break is tomorrow, and the outsiders need to start recruiting "hidden ones" at daybreak.

I walked up to Fang to say one last goodbye when he hugged me. It was my turn to be stiff as stone, as I was unable to get over the shock. And then, at the absolutely worst moment, I felt my brain go splat against the inside of my skull. "Please", I wanted to scream, "let me die now, so I can't feel this anymore!"

I fell into a pair of ropey, strong arms, and found myself on the ground encircled by Fang. He was whispering something in my ear as I tried to keep tears at bay. I felt sick, and I my head felt like it was about to become a ten-dollar 3D Jackson Pollock.

Finally, the throbbing, stabbing, shooting pain eased up in its vice-like grip of my gray matter. I fazed in and out of consciousness as Whisper, Celaeno, and Val dragged me into our hut. They laid me down on a couple blankets, and I was in the circle with my generals… Man. I wanted to see what Fang wanted to say, but he's gone now. I threw those thoughts out the proverbial window, and I focused on what needed to be done.


End file.
